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CONTINUED ON PAGE 8  GOALS 2021 EVERY OTHER YEAR , members of the National Junior Santa Gertrudis Associa- tion (NJSGA) anticipate the opportunity to register for and attend the Gerts Ongoing Advanced Leadership Summit (GOALS). This year’s leadership conference will help junior members “Chart a Course for Clear We know that, properly set up, large contemporary groups are key to get head-to-head comparisons of differ- ent sire groups, but you cannot take lightly the power that genomics and its involvement in the genetic evaluation play. With one ear punch, we can get genetic information on a non-parent animal that equates to having roughly, on average, 15 progeny records across traits, providing valuable, early information on this animal’s potential performance. This not only allows breeders to make early keep/cull decisions in large herds or quickly identify genetic outliers, but can provide the same information and increased accuracy to

Trail Talk EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT By Webb D. Fields (361) 592-9357 | wfields@santagertrudis.com

S pring is certainly in the air. After a mild start to the winter, it finally showed up after the turn of the cal- endar year and set in pretty hard. It’s nice to see spring temperatures and green grass again, and I’m sure the cattle feel the same after eating plenty of hay the last few months. Spring also ushers in the return of the busy season for us, with sales and events seemingly every weekend. There is nothing better than heading out on an early, cool spring morning to sort through cattle pens in the hope of finding that next gem. Top-end genetics will be traded, new breed leaders will be identified and the wheels of prog- ress will continue to move this breed forward. I, for one, am not only excited to see the cattle, but also drink a cup of coffee over a visit with our great breeders. As we think about sale season, one term you are sure to come across is performance . Across breeds, this term is used heavily to describe cattle, both individually and as a group. You will run across a high-performing heifer or maybe performance-tested bulls. Breed associations use it to reference the manner in which to collect data and records. But what does performance mean? Webster will tell you it’s the execution of an action or something accomplished. So, what exactly are we talking about when we blanket call something performance ? Unfortunately, the vague- ness of the term is also its beauty. It can describe many situations simultane- ously. At its base, performance is how – good or bad – an animal performs throughout the many stages of its life. As we quantify this performance with weights, measures, scores, scans, etc., this information is passed along to the association to be placed into the genetic evaluation. This allows for as accurate a look as possible at how these animals fall in the scope of the entire breed, with information available from across herds and generations.

This system is set up to be compara- tive in nature, so head-to-head evalua- tions of like animals of different genetic makeups gives a real look at how these animals perform as it relates to one another. These contemporary groups provide the basis for the entire process.

Success” as we set sail on a leadership development experience in Crystal River, Fla. GOALS 2021 will be held July 26-30 at The Plantation on Crystal River on Central Florida’s “Nature Coast” – not far from Tampa. The GOALS retreat venue is surrounded by the natural

springs of Kings Bay, one of the largest aquifers in the state and home to more than 400 manatees, which makes it the self-professed “Home of the Manatee.” This site will no-doubt lend itself to some fun in the sun and water as we explore the Florida coast in the summertime. In addition to fun in the sun, GOALS 2021 will feature our leadership facilitator, Jason Wetzler from Portland, Ore., who grew up on a farm and attributes the les- sons he’s learned in life to his agricultural upbringing. He graduated from Okla- homa State University and now enjoys his job as a professional speaker and trainer with one goal in mind: to make the lives of other people better. Jason will share time with GOALS participants to facilitate a fun, interactive leadership training experience. We will also have learning opportunities afforded to the GOALS 2021 delegation by the University of Florida and the many aspects of the agricultural industry this university employs. We encourage all our Santa Gertrudis youth to make a positive decision to attend the NJSGA leadership program this summer. With so many diverse and wonderful summer opportunities, it can be difficult to select which activities to par- ticipate in, but we encourage giving the GOALS leadership program real consider- ation as summer plans are being made. Leadership development not only happens in the cattle showing arena – past GOALS attendees will tell you that these experi- ences are some of their most memorable as this event focuses on organizational leadership, relationship building, personal development and goal setting. We encourage all NJSGA members, ages 13 and older, to register for GOALS 2021 and join us in beautiful Crystal River, Fla. Registration information will be available on the SGBI website in early May. For more information, contact GOALS 2021 co-chairmen: CHRISTY MORAN (979) 203-0433 • moran_fam4@yahoo.com CASEY JONES (386) 623-9088 • jbarfarms5@gmail.com

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